Monday, December 3, 2018

a yellow carpet and the first weekend


After posting Thursday morning about the ginkgoes still being bright yellow and full of leaves I woke up Friday morning to trees that had lost half their leaves overnight and sitting here in the morning looking out at the one in the Little Backyard watching it rain down leaves. An hour later it had lost half what it had an hour previous. Two hours later it was almost bare. I tried to get a picture of the leaves raining down every time the breeze blew but while my eyes saw dozens, the camera only saw one or two. By the end of the day only a few stalwarts were clinging tenaciously to the tree.


It's the time of year, now that the tallow and the pecan behind it in the neighbor's yard have lost all their leaves, that I have to wear a cap in the mornings since I look east so as not to be blinded on sunny days until the sun gets higher than the top of the window.

Set-up on Thursday went quickly and smoothly. Our display and several others will stay the whole 3 weekends but others will come and go. Driving into and through the city we were seeing a rare display of fall colors triggered by those two nights of early freeze, the oaks and sweet gums and bradford pears were brilliant in reds and yellows. I miss having a sweet gum. We had one at the city house though I hated all those prickly balls all over the ground. They're common in the city but I don't think I've seen a single one out here. Same with robins, common in the city but an hour away I haven't seen a single one.

The first weekend of the open house is done and it was dismal for us, only one $50 sale, but everyone else had a good weekend. Our glass blower hosts sold all of their new pieces as well as lots of ornaments, small glasses, and paperweights, our fuser friend sold two of his sculptures that have been hanging around for years along with several other small plates/bowls, the woman that does enamel jewelry was very happy with her sales, and the new this year young glass blower next to us couldn't wrap his stuff up fast enough. It's not that people weren't buying in our price range, they just weren't buying from us but we did get lots of compliments and our work has never been an impulse buy. Some years we make no sales, some years we do well. Last year we had a great show while others didn't so it balances out. I'm happy everyone else did well and there are still two more weekends so we'll see.

Some miscellaneous pictures...

Minnie spent the weekend with my sister since we would be gone all day both days. As you can see she was just pining away.


When we were in town Thursday to set up we stopped by Trader Joe's to get the stuff we get there and bought some fresh peas which we had some of for dinner Saturday night. Marc sorted out 7 that had just started to sprout with a tip of root peeking out so I put them between layers of wet paper towel until I could get them planted. Today they looked like this and are now nestled in wet dirt in the sun.


I'm used to the wrens hanging out in the garage and being all curious about the stuff in there, they even like to check out the house in the spring when the door is open, but now we have a new guy hanging out in the garage. I posted about all the plumerias and other tropical plants in pots being stored in the garage for the winter and several weeks ago I surprised a male cardinal hanging out in the plumerias in there. In the days since, both Marc and I have seen him fly out when we leave the house via the garage door (or dart around when we enter the garage) and today he was in there again. I usually just ignore him but I did manage to get this picture while he was perched on the kiln. Right after I took the picture he flew out again.






11 comments:

  1. Wonder if what sold had more practical applications...such as jewelry and Christmas ornaments?

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    1. yes, the jewelry, vanity items usually always do well, and the ornaments and the little glasses in christmas colors but mostly I'd say the work sold was for display only. I think lot has to do with size comparisons...a big blown vase or bowl for the same price as a small sculpture not much bigger than your hand seems a better value. but typically people who buy our work have to see it several times, let it grow on them, and justify the cost for something so small. the lady who bought the peach box last year, didn't buy it the year before. also, we don't get much repeat business. they buy from us once and that's it.

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  2. Well, people will go home and ponder and hopefully come back and buy.
    And you're right- it all evens out.
    I just drove home and was slightly amazed at all of the leaf color. North Florida is not completely without it.
    I love your resident cardinal. I bet he'll get a sweetheart and maybe they'll nest in your garage.

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  3. I love your leaf carpet. We have a leaf carpet too, but it's mostly brown, which I guess is ok because it won't show stains... :)

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  4. When I went to work this morning, all of the needles still were on the cypress, and most of the leaves on the crepe myrtles. Tonight? Not so much. When it happens, it happens fast. Love your cardinal!

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  5. Such a Minnie! I'm amused by the chutzpah of the cardinal, too. Unless, of course, I'm overlooking "Cardinal Nesting" signs.

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    1. seems a little early for nesting behavior but wouldn't it be cool if they built a nest in one of the plumerias. of course I wouldn't be able to move it until the babies fledged.

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  6. It just takes one storm, and all the leaves are gone. We usually only have two good weeks of a beautiful Autumn. The leaves don’t change till late October or early November and then a nor’easter comes along and everything is gone.

    I hope you have a good two weekends ahead for you.

    How lovely to have a resident cardinal.

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  7. Thank you for this beautiful post, especially for your insight about things balancing out. Carpet of golden leaves. Minnie. Sprouting peas. Cardinal.

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  8. It's hard to forecast what people will buy at art shows. Although it's not helpful at all, I would have made a beeline for your display and would have spent my budget. What a great photograph of Minnie - that little tongue! It's interesting about the cardinal - they are usually very people/building shy.

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  9. Funny that cardinal is so comfortable coming indoors! I guess the plants make him feel like he's outside. Maybe a video of the ginkgo leaves would have worked? (Idea for next year. :) ) Sorry the sales haven't panned out so far but fingers crossed that things pick up!

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